‘More Than A Month’ Follows Director’s Effort to End Black History Month

Filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman speaks onstage during the 'Independent Lens Examines Black History Month' panel during the PBS portion of the 2012 Winter TCA Tour at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa on Jan. 5, 2012 in Pasadena

*The grand irony behind the PBS film “More Than a Month,” about a black man’s effort to get rid of Black History Month, is that it makes its television premiere during Black History Month.

Shukree Hassan Tilghman – the documentary’s 29-year-old writer, director and producer – feels that black history should not be held apart from American history, and at the very least, should not be relegated to the shortest month of the year. The film (premiering Thursday, Feb. 16 at 10 p.m. as part of PBS’ “Independent Lens”) shows Tilghman criss-crossing the country soliciting support for his movement.

“My way of going about it in this particular film was that maybe part of claiming that American-ness, for lack of a better term, for that history, is getting it out of that month,” Tilghman said at the recent TCA press tour in Pasadena, Calif. “That was sort of my first step. Maybe you have to sort of break something down in order for that better thing to take its place. But most people didn’t agree with me, and that’s sort of the story of the film.”

Shukree Hassan Tilghman in his film "More Than a Month," premiering Feb. 16, 2012 on PBS.

Tilghman’s road trip begins in Washington D.C., with each stop along the way exploring a different dimension of Black History Month: education, history, identity, and commercialism. The film ultimately questions the relevance of all ethnic heritage months, and whether separating black history from American history actually belittles the contributions of African American’s throughout U.S. history.

In the audio below, Tilghman speaks about the irony of PBS choosing to debut “More Than a Month” as part of its Black History Month programming, and whether he would prefer his work premiere in any month other than February. [Scroll down to watch the trailer.]

2 Responses

I am so tired of some black folks thinking Black History Month being in February (the shortest month) is some damn conspiracy. It would help greatly if folks knew the origins of Black History Month which began as Black History Week. Noted historian Carter G. Woodson chose the second week in February because both Frederick Douglass (cited to be born around this time) and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays fell within that week. No conspiracy there folks…

Also, I take pride in Black History Month and support the other ethnic history months. We can do away with these months when racism ceases to exist and there is a level playing field when every American’s efforts are equally exulted. Since that hasn’t happened yet, these months are needed to celebrate and highlight the contributions non-white Americans have made and continue to make in America. Because unfortunately many of our contributions are not known or rarely talked about except during this month.

I totally agree with MzTee – TOTALLY! In the same breath, I feel that this brother’s mindset should at the very least be given some credit for venturing outside of the boundaries that have been set by this society and limiting to this society. If only he could have read MzTee’s comments first. Because while he was courageous and innovative (in a sense), I don’t believe he fully thought it thru. LOL…I get the cliche which goes something like, “shoot first, aim later” [sic]…but I know from experience, most of the ‘time’, it’s better to aim first. Maybe Shukree is the embryo that actually grows into something.

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